ROYAL FAMILY NEWSQueen Elizabeth Detected 'Narcissistic Traits' in Meghan Markle After 'Attempts to Set Her Up for Royal Success Failed,' Author Claims
Queen Elizabeth allegedly believed Meghan Markle was a narcissist.
April 20 2026, Published 11:27 a.m. ET
The late Queen Elizabeth believed Meghan Markle possessed a few "narcissistic traits," royal author Robert Hardman claimed in his new book.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, and husband Prince Harry departed from The Firm after lengthy discussions with the monarch in 2020 and moved to Montecito, Calif.
Queen Elizabeth 'had seen plenty of narcissists in her life.'
In Hardman's new tome about the queen, he quoted an insider who claimed she "detected narcissistic behavior on the part of Meghan."
"The queen had seen plenty of narcissists in her life," the source said.
On a recent episode of Newsweek's "The Royal Report" podcast, the author further explained the disconnect between the sovereign and the Suits actress.
Queen Elizabeth Often Hid Her True Feelings
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry married at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
Harman stated many people around the queen thought she felt "Meghan was showing narcissistic tendencies" by the time she left the royal family.
"The queen was famously good at concealing her true thoughts," he said, adding her closest advisors were confident the monarch thought Meghan showed "narcissistic traits after attempts to set her up for royal success failed."
At first, the queen — who died in September 2022 at the age of 96 —tried to present Meghan with patronages that would appeal to her interests such as the National Theatre.
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Queen Elizabeth Was 'Delighted' With Meghan Markle When They First Met
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to leave The Firm in early 2020.
According to Hardman, these endeavors "were initially embraced by the [Sussexes] and then just sort of torn up."
"It was at first baffling, then frustrating, and then ultimately, in the end, those around the queen felt that she felt she had been let down by both of them but certainly detected narcissistic behavior on the part of Meghan," he continued.
However, the queen "was actually delighted" with Meghan early on when Harry, 41, first brought her into the royal fold in 2016.
The Monarch 'Bent' the Rules for Meghan Markle
Queen Elizabeth died in 2022 at the age of 96.
The As Ever founder and the Spare author announced their engagement in late 2017 and tied the knot at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
Hardman noted the queen was "sort of bending all the rules to welcome Meghan" into the family.
"You used to not take your girlfriend or even then-fiancée to stay at royal events until you were married and all this sort of thing. Those sort of rules went out of the window," he shared.
Elsewhere in his book, Hardman wrote the sovereign saw many similarities between Meghan and a "young [Prince] Philip and his chaotic family."
"But it was now starting to look like the move to California had been a plan all along," the book read of how things ultimately went south between the Sussexes and the royal family.
